LED Light Linear Strip, Mounting Structure and Clip Assembly

ABSTRACT

A system and method comprised of an LED light strip whose electrically insulating core structure is somewhat flexible and elastic and whose alternating light producing sections and narrower clip sections have a top side containing LED elements and control signals and an underside containing a high capacity voltage bus, and a three sided mounting structure where an installed LED light strip is the fourth side with LED elements facing out and the voltage bus protected inside, and a clip system of two halves which affix to each other around a narrower clip section with a lower half connecting electrically to the voltage bus under the narrower clip section and installing in one side of the mounting structure and an upper half connecting electrically to control signals on the top half of the narrower clip section and installing in the other side of the mounting structure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to lighting devices, and more particularlyto LED lighting devices including a mounting structure and clip assemblyfor factory or field assembled luminaires.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

LED based lighting has increasingly become an attractive mode oflighting used for many purposes. One of the advantages of LED lightingis the ability to create long linear runs of individual LED elementswhich are wired into LED light strips. LED light strips can take manyforms, but most have a narrow width and a continuous length which can bedivided into smaller sections whose lengths vary, but are usually undersix inches in length. These LED light strips are flat and produce lightwith a wide beam angle and are well suited to a variety of applications.Usually these LED light strips are composed of a flexible printedcircuit which is printed on a thin flexible substrate where thatsubstrate is not much wider than the LED elements themselves. This isconvenient in that the resulting LED light strip is itself narrow, andcan be installed without taking up much room. A drawback to thisapproach is that the conductors must also be narrow, and consequentlythey cannot carry very much power. This limits the length an LED lightstrip can run before it must be re-powered, often to 10 meters or less.This is most often due to voltage drop, or the resistive lossesassociated with running too much power through too small conductors. AnLED light strip which could find the area within which to run largeconductors while still maintaining the advantage of a narrow profilewould be desirable.

LED light strips have a great advantage in their ability to vary thelength of an installation in small increments. This is due to LED lightstrips being designed as a continuous strip of individual sections,where the individual sections are inches long and can be separated atany point within a strip of sections, as long as each section iscomplete from end to end. This means an installation whose LED lightstrip individual sections are four inches long, can be any length thatis a multiple of four inches, up to its power limitations. Thismodularity is desirable, and is made possible by the clip systems(sometimes called connectors) many LED light strip systems use. Some LEDlight strip systems still use a direct solder connection method, butthose are less desirable and becoming less common. A clip system usuallyuses a plastic clip which closes over the end of one LED light stripsection, where it makes electrical contact with the LED light strip andcan thereby deliver power or control signals such as dimming level.These clip systems, while increasing convenience also need space toconnect their wires, whether from a power supply or a controller. Thismeans that if a clip is to be installed in the middle of an existingcontinuous installation of LED light strip sections which have not beenseparated, the LED light strip would have to be cut between sections,and then at least one of the two resulting LED light strip sectionswould need to be moved to create the needed space for the clip betweenthe previously connected sections. This could require removing andreinstalling a significant portion of an LED light strip installationevery time one or more clips must be installed.

The need to created space between newly separated LED light stripsections for clip installation is particularly problematic whenreplacing a broken or defective section of LED light strip, sincereplacement section for the defective section must have a clip toconnect the section to the existing installation at each end of thereplacement section, requiring significant modification to the originalinstallation. An improved LED light strip system would allow for clipinstallation without changing the length of an installation, whether inthe design phase, during repair and replacement, or duringreconfiguration changes.

Another challenge of LED light strips is that their structure is notvery durable or strong. Further, the installation method most commonlyused is double-sided tape applied to the surface the LED light strip isto be mounted on and to the rear of the LED light strip. Such aninstallation does not provide a high degree of mechanical security to aninstallation, and makes service, repair and reconfiguration moredifficult. An improved LED light strip system would provide amechanically secure installation which can be serviced, repaired andreconfigured without modification to the original installation location.Mechanical security of a lighting system is of particular importance ifthe lighting system is to provide emergency lighting, such as lightingin egress passageways of commercial buildings.

An ideal lighting system would be one that combines the convenience andflexibility of current LED light strips with the mechanical andelectrical security of a commercial grade lighting fixture.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present LED light strip assembly improves upon currently availableLED light strip designs which results in an LED light strip system andmethod that is securely and removably installed using common hardwaremethods and practices into a mounting structure that is a simple openended structure with a consistent profile along its length. The LEDlight strip has two primary sections which alternate repeatedly alongits length. The first primary section of the LED light strip is the mainlight producing section which contains both the illumination LEDs andthe primary means for securing the LED light strip within the mountingstructure. The second primary section of the LED light strip is the clipsection, which is narrower transverse to its length than the main lightproducing section. The LED light strip clip section also has anidentified removable portion, which removes a short length of the entirestructure of the LED light strip clip section leaving an equal portionof the clip section on either side of the removable portion. Thesmallest operative length of the LED light strip of the presentinvention includes one main light producing section where the removableportion of each clip section immediately adjacent to the light producingsection has been removed.

The mounting structure within which the LED light strip of the presentinvention is installed contains a floor that is spaced apart from theunderside of the LED light strip when installed. The mounting structurealso contains a pair of opposing slots into which the edges of the mainlight producing section of the LED light strip are inserted. The LEDlight strip has a structural core or support structure along its lengththat is strong and sturdy enough to provide a physically securestructure of some thickness, flexibility and elasticity such that it canbe deformed, as by pinching, so that the edges of the wider main lightproducing section can be installed into the slots. The elasticityensures that the LED light strip returns to its original shape afterinstallation in the slots within the mounting structure sides. Primaryinstallation is completed when a fastener is secured through the lightproducing section of the LED light strip and through a heightmaintenance structure placed in the mounting structure underneath theLED light strip, which height maintenance structure establishes andmaintains the height of the center portion of the LED light strip,transverse to its length, while the slots in the mounting structuremaintain the height of the edges of the main light producing section ofthe LED light strip of the present invention. When the LED light stripof the present invention is installed in the mounting structure, aresulting compartment is created underneath the entirety of theinstalled LED light strip excepting the edge portions of the main lightproducing sections which are inside the mounting structure slots alongthe length of its sides. The LED light strip of the present invention isalways installed within the mounting structure such that the LED lightproducing elements are facing out of the mounting structure, so as toeffectively provide light to a space, with the underside of the LEDlight strip facing into the resulting compartment. The outward facingside of the LED light strip may be referred to as the top of the LEDlight strip and, correspondingly, the side of the LED light strip facingthe compartment inside the mounting structure may be referred to as thebottom of the LED light strip.

The LED light strip of the present invention is powered by one or moreelectrical power busses which are at least partially secured to theunderside of the LED light strip for the entirety of its length. Poweris communicated from the underside bus(es) to each main light producingsection by vias (vertical interconnect access) through the LED lightstrip structure, or by other methods of power communication through acircuit board or similar structures known in the art. The only way poweris introduced to the light producing LED elements and supportingcircuitry on the top side of the LED light strip is by thesethrough-connections or vias providing power from underneath eachsection. Electrical power for the circuitry and for light production isnever transmitted from one LED light producing section to the next byelectrical connection on the top side of the LED light strip. Electricalpower is transmitted between LED light producing sections exclusively bythe voltage busses underneath the LED light strip structure and withinthe compartment resulting from LED light strip installation within themounting structure.

Moving the electrical power bus(es) underneath the LED light strip andwithin the compartment resulting from installation within the mountingstructure provides several advantages. First, the cross sectional spaceavailable for the busses is increased, since they do not have to sharespace with the LED light producing elements and associated circuitry.This allows for larger conductors which allows for more power to becarried further, allowing longer runs of LED light strip from a higherpower source. The compartment also provides some physical protection,and may allow for higher power levels to be deployed while the shockrisk to individuals is minimized.

The LED light strip of the present invention may also utilize controlsignals for its operation. Control signals circuits are different fromelectrical power circuits in that they are not designed to deliverelectrical power, they just have enough electrical power to deliver andmaintain a control signal, which is very little power. As such, controlsignals of the kind that would be deployed in an LED lighting systemsuch as dimming signals, light sensor signals, are of such low powerthat they are considered inherently safe under the electrical code inthe U.S. Also, since they are low power they do not require largeconductors. Thus invention includes control signal conductors entirelyon the outward facing side (top) of the installed LED light strip of thepresent invention. Also control signals are transmitted to adjacent LEDlight producing units by conductors which travel through the top of eachclip section to the next LED light producing section. There can be oneor more control signal circuits and conductors as needed for desired LEDlight strip function.

The present invention also provides a novel system and method forapplication of clips. A clip or clip assembly for this invention iscomprised of two halves, a lower clip half and an upper clip half. Thetwo clip halves attach to each other over the clip section of the LEDlight strip of the present invention with or without the identifiedremovable portion of the clip section present, with the lower clip halfbeing primarily under the bottom side of the LED light strip clipsection and within the compartment, and the upper clip half beingprimarily on the top side of the LED light strip clip section. The lowerclip half can make useful combinations of electrical connections withthe one or more power busses within the compartment created underneaththe installed LED light strip and can insert or remove power to the LEDlight strip through external wires connected to the lower clip half asneeded. The lower clip half also contains a structural portion thatextends into one slot on one side of the mounting structure, and notinto the slot on the opposite side. The upper clip half can make usefulcombinations of electrical connections with the one or more controlsignal conductors on the top half of the LED light strip clip sectionand can insert or remove control signals through external wires whichare connected to the upper clip half as needed. The upper clip half alsocontains a structural portion which extends into the slot on theopposite side from the slot containing the structure portion of thelower clip half. The two clip halves are then secured to each other overand around the clip section of the LED light strip of the presentinvention with the joined clip halves now secured within the mountingstructure slots and secured around the clip section of the LED lightstrip.

One of the benefits of this novel LED light strip, mounting structureand clip system is that the presence of a clip does not at all changethe installed position of the LED light strip along the length of themounting structure. The installation fasteners which secure the LEDlight producing section of the LED light strip will use the same holesin the mounting structure before and after clip installation. Operationssuch as replacing one failed section of LED light strip can beundertaken without changing the original installation. Configurationchanges of control signals lengths and power bus lengths can occurwithout altering an original installation. The removable portion of theclip section also allows for a fail-safe to ensure that a power busbreak is executed correctly by including a piece of plastic or otherinsulating material that rises vertically from the lower clip half andinto the space between the two sides of a clip section where theremovable portion of the clip section would otherwise be. This fail-safebarrier both provides an electrically insulating barrier between twopower bus segments and prevents the clip sections from being installedunless the removable section is, in fact, removed.

An additional benefit is the ability to provide plug-and-play access topower for other external devices from the bus(es) underneath the LEDlight strip. Such a clip assembly would contain electrical contacts forthe power bus underneath the LED light strip, the removable portion ofthe clip section would not need to be removed, and there would be noneed for control signal contacts in the upper clip half. There wouldalso be external wires which are connected to the lower clip halfelectrical contacts using methods known in the art and can be installedon any LED light strip clip section that does not already contain aclip. As long as there is available wattage on that power bus, thispower can be extracted without changing any other aspects of theoriginal installation.

One particular aspect of the clip and LED light strip system is theability to leverage the flexibility and elasticity of the LED lightstrip structure to provide a continuing force ensuring continued stableelectrical contact within a clip, especially at the power busses wheremore contact transmission is necessary. The clip halves establishelectrical connection by matching contact areas on the LED light stripwith aligned contact areas within the respective clip halves The cliphalves are secured against each other and over the clip section of theLED light strip, either by a snap fit or by common nut and bolt typeassembly, or other mechanically fastening methods known in the art. Bydesigning the electrical contact portions of the clip halves such thatthe press into their respective contact on the LED light strip in such amanner that the contact on the LED light strip is pressed into theflexible structure of the LED light strip, the elasticity of thestructure provides a countering force that presses the two contactstogether. Therefore, an advantage of this invention is that theflexibility and elasticity of the structure of the LED light strip,which is required for installation, also provides flexibility for thestructure to deform as the clip halves are joined together and theirrespective contacts are forced into the LED light strip which provides aforce due to the structure attempting to return to its original form. Itis this counter force that ensures electrical contact within the cliphalves.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the LED light stripassembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3a is a side elevation view of the mounting structure for the LEDlight assembly.

FIG. 3b is a side elevation view of several alternative fasteners forsecuring the LED light strip to the mounting structure.

FIG. 3c illustrates a manner of use of a first fastener.

FIG. 3d illustrates a manner of use of a second fastener.

FIG. 3e illustrates a manner of use of a third fastener.

FIG. 4a is a top plan view of the LED light strip clip section.

FIG. 4b is a top plan view of the LED light strip clip section with theremovable section having been removed and illustrating the lower half ofthe clip assembly.

FIG. 4c illustrates the LED light strip clip section positioned over thelower half of the clip assembly.

FIG. 4d illustrates the upper and lower clip halves of the clip assemblyattached to the LED light strip clip section.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the LED light strip and clip assemblymounted to the mounting structure.

FIG. 6a is a side elevation view of another mounting structure for theLED light assembly.

FIG. 6b is a side elevation view of the components of the clip assembly.

FIG. 6c is a side elevation view of the clip assembly secured to themounting structure and LED light strip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best mode or modes of theinvention presently contemplated. Such description is not intended to beunderstood in a limiting sense, but to be an example of the inventionpresented solely for illustration thereof, and by reference to which inconnection with the following description and the accompanying drawingsone skilled in the art may be advised of the advantages and constructionof the invention. Reference will now be made in detail to a preferredimplementation of the present invention as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Before the present invention is disclosed and described, it is to beunderstood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting. The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one ormore than one. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as twoor more than two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as atleast a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as usedherein, are defined as comprising. The term “coupled,” as used herein,is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and notnecessarily mechanically. Relational terms such as upper and lower,first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely todistinguish one component or part from another component or part withoutnecessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or orderbetween such components or parts. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,”or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusiveinclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises a list of elements does not include only those elements butmay include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to suchprocess, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by“comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude theexistence of additional identical elements in the process, method,article, or apparatus that comprises the element. The terms “about” or“approximately” as used herein apply to all numeric values, whether ornot explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range ofnumbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to therecited values (i.e., having the same function or result).

FIGS. 1 through 6 refer to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. Definition of some additional relative terms here may assistthe reader. “Length” as used herein refers to the axis which runsthrough consecutive sections of the LED light strip, which as orientedin FIGS. 1 and 2 would be an axis travelling from left to right. “Width”as used herein refers to the distance across the LED light striptransverse to its length, as do similar descriptors such as “narrow”.The portion of the LED light strip of the present invention shall bereferred to relatively as the top of the LED light strip, such asdescribing the LED elements as being mounted to the top of the LED lightstrip, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 6. Similarly, the reverseside of the LED light strip shall be referred to as the bottom of theLED light strip, as shown in FIG. 2. The sides of LED light strip acrossits width shall be referred to as edges. Other relative terms such asunder may be used and shall not be seen as aiding this description, notlimiting the orientations of the embodiments. For example, the LED lightstrip of the present invention could be installed under a shelf in acloset to illuminate the contents underneath that shelf. In that case,the “top” of the LED light strip as pictured in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5 wouldin fact be pointing down to illuminate the shelf contents. Such animplementation, and any other implementations within variousorientations of the present invention described herein, shall not belimited by the relative terms. As used throughout, ranges are used asshorthand for describing each and every value that is within the range.Any value within the range can be selected as the terminus of the range.In addition, all references cited herein are hereby incorporated byreferenced in their entireties. In the event of a conflict in adefinition in the present disclosure and that of a cited reference, thepresent disclosure controls.

Referring now in particular to FIG. 1, an LED light strip 50 isillustrated as it would be seen from above, where above in this examplerefers to a straight-on view square to the LED elements 54 which producethe light for illumination of a space, where that light production isthe primary purpose of LED light strip 50. LED light strip 50 is alinear LED light strip comprised of alternating sections 51 and 52, witheach section 51 having a removable portion 53 which is equidistant fromeach immediately adjacent section 52 along the length of each section51. The shortest functional length of the LED light strip of the presentinvention is one section 52 where the removable portion 53 of eachimmediately adjacent section 51 is removed.

LED light strip 50 is further comprised of a structural core 59 which iscomprised of a somewhat flexible and elastic material such aspolyurethane, and which may be extruded with a common profile of similarthickness across its width and length. The material selected for corestructure must also not conduct electricity. Clip sections 51 arenarrower than sections 52 with respect to their width, and the corestructure material may be removed in manufacturing as a secondaryprocess after the extrusion of LED light strip core structure 59.Another secondary process such as laser cutting may be employed forprecisely making both installation holes 55, clip alignment holes 57 andholes for vias 58 a and 58 b through core structure 59. All holes extendcompletely through core structure 59. Core structure 59 has sufficientstrength to hold its form as a straight LED light strip while beingsupported along the edges of sections 52 and at periodic installationholes 55 within sections 52, including across unsupported sections 51.The electronics and wiring for the LED circuits on the top side of LEDlight strip 50 are printed directly onto the top surface of corestructure 59 using methods known in the art of printed circuit boards(PCB)s, including printing control signal contacts 56 a and 56 b from asuitably conductive material such as copper. In this illustratedembodiment of the present invention core structure 59 is also thesubstrate onto which the circuits for LED light strip 50 are printed.

Section 51 is the clip portion of LED light strip 50, and contains aremovable portion 53 which may be removed using common electrician'stools such as a high leverage cable cutter if desired. Section 51 isalso considerably narrower than section 52 transverse to its length,which accommodates clip installation as is described below withreference particular reference being made to FIGS. 4 and 5. Section 51contains two clip assembly alignment holes which are located on eitherside of removable portion 53 of each clip section 51, and are in thecenter of section 51 transverse to its length. Four control signalcontacts, indicated by reference numerals 56 a and 56 b, are alsoprinted on section 51 using standard methods and practices for PCBs. Inone embodiment the LED light strip of the present invention can carryone control signal, such as a dimming level signal, along its lengthusing two control signal conductors (not illustrated in FIG. 1). Thecontrol signal transmits a signal level electric current which carriesinformation but does not transmit power, such as would be needed togenerate light. Accordingly, the control signals can be transmittedusing thin copper signal traces according to standard PCB printingmethods and practices. Control signal contacts 56 a and 56 b have moreconductive surface than would be needed to transmit the control signals,but the surface area is to make contact with corresponding electricalcontacts within an upper clip half as described and illustrated in FIG.4. Control signal contacts 56 a and 56 b are arranged in pairs in thisembodiment of the present invention, where each pair of one 56 a and one56 b are collinear across LED light strip 50 clip section 51 and thecontrol signal information is present in the electrical potentialdifference between each collinear pair. Each control signal contact 56 ais also collinear along the length of LED light strip 50 with the othercontact 56 a on the other side of removable portion 53 within each clipsection 51. Control signal contacts 56 b are similarly collinear alongthe length of LED light strip 50 within each clip section 51.

Copper control signal traces are not illustrated in FIG. 1, but areconfigured as follows toward the presently described embodiment of thepresent invention. Copper signal traces directly connect the two controlsignal contact pairs within each clip section 51 to each other acrossremovable portion 53 when removable portion 53 has not been removed.These copper signal traces connecting each pair of control signalcontacts 56 a and 56 b necessarily establish the same control signalinformation for each pair of control signal contacts 56 a and 56 bwithin each clip section 51 where that removable portion 53 is present.A copper signal trace also connects to each control signal contact 56 aand 56 b on the opposite side from removable portion 53 within each clipsection 51 where those traces enter light producing section 52 and thecontrol signal information is put to purposeful use controlling thelight produced within each section 52 according to the information, suchas a dimming level, contained within the control signal. Each lightproducing section 52 has one pair of control signal contacts 56 a and 56b within each clip section 51 which is immediately adjacent to each endof each section 52 which are connected directly to that section 52before crossing any removable portion 53 within each immediatelyadjacent clip section 51. The control signal information at each ofthose immediately adjacent control signal contact pairs is the same, aseach light producing section 52 reads and puts to meaningful use thecontrol signal information but does not alter the information containedwithin the control signal. It is therefore necessarily the case that thecontrol signal information contained in the immediately adjacent controlsignal contact pairs 56 a and 56 b within the immediately adjacent clipsections 51 at each end of each light producing section 52 is always thesame. Therefore, control signal information such as dimming level willpropagate unchanged along an installation of LED light strip 50 for aslong as all removable portions 53 are present in an alternating seriesof light producing sections 52 and clip sections 51. When removableportion 53 of any clip section 51 is removed, and no electricalconnection between the control signal contact pairs 56 a and b withinthat clip section is made within the upper clip half, the control signalinformation may be different for each control signal contact pair 56 oneither side of the removed removable portion 53 within that clip section51.

Clip alignment holes 57 extend completely through LED light strip 50clip section 51 and core structure 59. Clip alignment hole 57 iscollinear across section 51 with control signal contacts 56 with oneclip alignment hole 57 centrally located between each control signalcontact pair 56 a and 56 b.

Section 52 is the main light producing section of LED light strip 50 asit contains LED elements 54 which emit light to the purpose of LED lightstrip 50. A chosen installation of LED light strip 50 may have anynumber of consecutive sections combining for any useful length whereeach section alternates with a section 52 following each section 51, anda section 51 following each section 52. At the termination of aninstallation a final section 52 will be followed by the portion of thelast section 51 up to removable portion 53, with section 53 and beyondabsent. This termination would be at each end of a chosen installationof the LED light strip of this first embodiment of the presentinvention.

LED elements 54 are the sources of illumination from LED light strip 50of the present invention. Control signal information is conveyed to theLED circuitry within each section 52 through two control signal tracesfrom each control signal contact pair 56 on the same side as thatsection 52 is relative to the removable portion 53 contained in eachimmediately adjacent clip section 51. The control signal information isthe same at each control signal contact pair 56 at each end and isconnected to the LED circuitry for processing. Signal traces (not shown)connect the control signal to the LED circuitry in a manner known in theart of LED circuitry for lighting. Vias 58 a and 58 b are a pair whichtransmit electrical power from the underside of LED light strip section52 core structure 59 using methods known in the art for communicatingpower through a structure such as core structure 59. The electricalpower needed to power each light producing section 52 of LED light strip50 should be relatively small, for example less than 10 watts of power.Copper signal traces which are not illustrated in FIG. 1 will connectthat power from via pair 58 to the LED circuitry using methods known inthe art of LED lamp design. Although LED elements 54 are illustrated inFIG. 1, the associated circuitry and other components for LED lampoperation and control signal processing are not illustrated. Theparticular design the LED lamp circuitry including components such asresistors, power conversion circuitry or chips, and control signalprocessing such as dimming level processing circuitry and chips areoutside the scope of this invention, and will be included and designedusing methods and practices standard in the art of LED lamp design.Necessary to described embodiment of the present invention is that eachindividual light producing section 52 contains the needed LED lampcircuitry to put the control signal information provided by controlsignal contact pairs 56, and the electrical power provided by vias 58 aand 58 b to productive use within each light producing section 52.

LED light strip 50 light producing section 52 also contains installationholes 55 within each section 52. These installation holes allow for afastener to be passed through LED light strip core structure 59 and, byvarious methods illustrated in FIG. 3, secure LED light strip 50 withina mounting structure 63. All installation holes are centered across thewidth of light producing section 52, and are centered between two LEDelements 55 along its length. In the illustrated embodiment, twoinstallation holes 55 are located within each light producing section52, and each is located between an adjacent LED element 55 closest to aclip section 51 and an adjacent LED element closest to via pair 58.

Now referring in particular to FIG. 2 of the present invention a view ofthe underside of LED light strip 50 is presented. The view of LED lightstrip 50 in FIG. 2 is described in relation to FIG. 1 as follows. InFIG. 1, the label FIG. 1 is at the top of the figure, and the label 50is at the bottom of the figure, and at the left of the figure. Theorientation of LED light strip 50 within FIG. 1 can be similarlydescribed with a via 58 a as the closest via to the left side of thefigure when viewed such that the labels are upright. Accordingly, inFIG. 1 a via 58 b is represented as the closest via to the right side ofthe figure. Similarly, control signal contacts 56 b are the contactsclosest to the top of the figure and control signal contacts 56 a arethe closest to the bottom of the figure. The top, bottom, left and rightrelative directions can be defined similarly for FIG. 2 with the labelFIG. 2 at the top and left of the figure and the label 50 at the bottomand left of the figure when viewed with the labels upright. Theorientation as represented within FIG. 2 of the LED light strip of thisfirst embodiment of the present invention is such that the closest viato the left side of the figure is a via 58 a and the closest via to theright side of the figure is a via 58 b. Similarly, the closest vias tothe top of the figure when the labels are viewed upright are vias 58 a,and vias 58 b are similarly the closest vias to the bottom of thefigure. These relative descriptions of the orientation of LED lightstrip 50 within FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show that the edges of LED light strip50 sections 52 closest to the bottom of the figure in FIG. 1 are in FIG.2 shown that the same edges of LED light strip 50 sections 52 are nowclosest to the top of the figure. The left most end of LED light strip50 as viewed in FIG. 1 with the labels upright is the same left most endof LED light strip 50 as viewed in FIG. 2 with the labels upright.

Installation holes 55, clip alignment holes 57 and holes for vias 58 aand 58 b are in their respective places as described for FIG. 1, giventhe orientation of LED light strip 50 as presented in the view of theunderside of LED light strip 50 in FIG. 2. Voltage bus 60 is acontinuous voltage bus comprised of two voltage bus conductors 60 a and60 b. Voltage bus 60 conductors are printed directly onto core structure59 using standard PCB methods and practices. Voltage bus conductors 60 aand 60 b are oriented longitudinally along the underside surface of corestructure 59 and are of a constant width and thickness, except wherethey are widened to provide contact areas for a lower clip half. Eachvoltage bus conductor is parallel to the other as well as parallel tothe edges of LED light strip sections 52 and the narrower edges of clipsections 51 and proceeds in a straight manner along the length of LEDlight strip 50 with no bends or curves. Each voltage bus is centrallylocated across LED light strip 50 between clip alignment hole 57 and thenarrower edge of clip section 51, and are spaced apart sufficiently soas to be electrically insulated from each other.

The conductors for voltage bus 60 are notably wider and may be printedthicker than standard PCB traces, as they will transmit electrical powerfor more than one LED light producing section 52. Voltage bus 60 may bedesigned to carry a maximum power such as 95 watts at 24 volts of directcurrent, by way of example, and the voltage bus would be designed tocarry this maximum load as far as needed until it is consumed by acollection of light producing sections 52. If, by way of example, eachsection 52 would consume at maximum 5 watts of power, then voltage busconductors 60 a and 60 b would be designed to safely carry that powerfor a continuous series of 18 consecutive sections 52 where each section52 is separated by a clip section 51. The total power consumedcollectively by LED light strip sections 52 at maximum is 90 watts, andvoltage bus conductors 60 a and 60 b would be designed to have fewerthan 5 watts of resistive losses as the power is carried that distance.

Voltage bus conductors 60 a and 60 b travel continuously across bothlight producing sections 52 and clip sections 51 including acrossremovable portion 53 within each section 51. When a voltage businstallation has consumed all of the available power, such as after 18continuous sections as described above, voltage bus 60 can beinterrupted by removing removable portion 53 of the last clip sectionattached to the end of the 18th consecutive light producing section 52.The installation of LED light strip 50 can continue with a new bus onthe other side of the removed removable portion 53 as long as anelectrical connection across the removed portion 53 is not made within alower clip half. The subsequent LED light producing sections 52 can havea separate 95 watts of power at 24 volts for use in a continuinginstallation of LED light strip 50.

Signal traces 61 a and 61 b transmit power for one light producingsection 52 from voltage bus conductors 60 a and 60 b, respectively, tovias 58 a and 58 b, respectively, which then transmit power through LEDcore structure 59 to the top side of LED light strip 50 where the poweris used for that individual light producing section 50 as describedabove. Traces 61 a and 61 b are noticeably thinner than voltage busconductors 60 a and 60 b as they will only transmit the power needed forone light producing section 52, not the power for many sections 52.Trace 61 a travels orthogonally from its electrical connection to theside of voltage bus 60 a closest to installation hole 55 and travels ina straight line to a point that is collinear along the length of LEDstrip 50 with the center point of via 58 a at which point it makes a 90degree turn and proceeds a short distance along the length of LED lightstrip 50 to an electrical connection with via 58 a. Trace 61 b travelsorthogonally from its electrical connection to the side of voltage bus60 b closest to installation hole 55 and travels in a straight line to apoint that is collinear along the length of LED strip 50 with the centerpoint of via 58 b at which point it makes a 90 degree turn and proceedsa short distance along the length of LED light strip 50 to an electricalconnection with via 58 b.

Voltage bus contacts 62 a and 62 b are widened areas of the sameconductive material and the same thickness as voltage bus conductors 60a and 60 b. This increased width increases the surface area available tomake an electrical connection with an electrical contact within a lowerclip half as described in FIG. 4. Voltage bus contacts 62 a and 62 b arearranged in pairs in this first embodiment of the present invention,where each pair of one 62 a and one 62 b are collinear across theunderside of LED light strip 50 clip section 51 with one of 62 a and 62b on each side of clip alignment hole 57. Each voltage bus contact 62 ais also collinear along the length of LED light strip 50 with the othervoltage bus contact 62 a on the other side of removable portion 53within each clip section 51 on the underside of LED light strip 50 asoriented in FIG. 2. Voltage bus contacts 62 b are similarly collinearalong the length of LED light strip 50 within the underside of each clipsection 51 illustrated in FIG. 2 of this first embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 3a through 3e of this preferredembodiment of the present invention, these figures illustrate the systemand method of installation of LED light strip 50 within mountingstructure 63, illustrating several alternatives within this preferredembodiment. FIG. 3a illustrates an end-on view of mounting structure 63.Mounting structure 63 is a unitary structure with a consistent profilealong its length whose cross sectional profile is illustrated in FIG. 3awhich is formed from a strong rigid material which is suitable to beingpierced by a piercing fastener without splitting or otherwise rupturing.Mounting structure 63 is also substantially less flexible than thesomewhat flexible and elastic material comprising structural core 59 ofLED light strip 50. A material such as a common high strengththermoplastic, by way of example, would be suitably rigid relative tocore structure 59 of LED light strip 50.

Mounting structure 63, when viewed in profile as in FIG. 3a , iscomprised of two rectangular portions at each end of mounting structure63 where each rectangular portion is connected by a substantially lowerhorizontal member 66. Each rectangular structure contains aninstallation slot 64 which protrudes into the side of each outerrectangular portion which faces the other outer rectangular portion ofmounting structure 63. Installation slots 64 face each other and alsomounting slot floors 65 of each mounting slot 64 are at the same heightabove floor 67 where floor 67 is both the floor of mounting structure 63and the surface of member 66 facing toward mounting slots 64. Led lightstrip retention tab 68 is the portion of the rectangular portion at eachend of mounting structure 63 which holds the edge portions of aninstalled LED light strip 50 sections 52

Mounting structure 63 in one embodiment will be the same length as theLED light strip 50 to be installed, although it may be longer ifdesired. Mounting structure 63 can be manufactured by any of severalprocesses know in the art, but extrusion may be particularly attractivegiven a constant profile and a shape conducive to open extrusion.

FIG. 3b illustrates three examples of fasteners which may be used toinstall LED light strip 50 within mounting structure 63, as well asheight maintenance cylinder 70, which shall be used with all threefastener types.

Fastener 69 is a threaded piercing fastener whose length is such thatwhen installed as illustrated in FIG. 3c the threaded portion piercesfloor 67 of mounting structure 63 but does not pass through theunderside of member 66.

Height maintenance cylinder 70 is a rigid cylinder whose interiordiameter is sufficiently wide to allow fasteners 69, 71 and 72 toreadily pass through without engaging the fasteners' threads, and whoseouter diameter is wider and provides sufficient cross sectional areawith sufficient strength to support the center of LED light strip 50 andmaintain the spacing underneath LED light strip 50 and above floor 67 ofmounting structure 63 when any of fasteners 69, 71 or 72 are tightenedas illustrated in FIGS. 3c, 3d and 3 e.

Fastener 71 is a threaded piercing fastener whose length is such thatwhen installed as illustrated in FIG. 3d the threaded portion piercesfloor 67 and passes through member 66 and pierces material 74 onto whichmounting structure 63 is to be installed.

Fastener 72 is a non-piercing fastener to be threaded through nut 73,whose interior diameter and threading is such that nut 73 threadssecurely onto the threaded portion of fastener 72. Fastener 72 issufficiently long that when installed as illustrated in FIG. 3e fastener72 passes through a hole in member 66 and through a hole in rigid sheetmaterial 75, providing sufficient protruding length to enable nut 73 tothread and tighten against sheet material 75.

Prior to securing LED light strip 50 within mounting structure 63 firstboth LED light strip 50 and height maintenance cylinder 70 must beplaced within mounting structure 63. In order to ease proper placement,height maintenance cylinder 70 may be adhered to the underside of LEDlight strip 50 such that they are concentric with each installation hole55 present within the length of LED light strip 50 prior toinstallation. LED light strip 50 can be installed with cylinders 70fixed in place by pinching each light producing section by squeezing theouter edges of section 52 closer together such that somewhat flexibleand elastic structural core 59 curves with the center portion elevatedand bringing the outer edges of that section 52 closer together suchthat that section 52 can now pass LED light strip retention tabs 68.When the outer edges of a pinched and curved across its width section 50reach installation slots 64, the installer can release the section 52,whose elastic structural core returns to its original shape with theedges of section 52 now in each installation slot 64 within mountingstructure with a height maintenance cylinder 70 adhered in place at bothinstallation holes 55 present in that section 52. This pinch and releaseprocess is repeated for each section 52 along the installed length ofLED light strip 50. With LED light strip 50 placed within mountingstructure 63 and cylinders 70 in place at every installation hole 55,fasteners 69 or 71 or 72 can now be installed to secure the installationas illustrated respectively in FIGS. 3c, 3d and 3 e.

FIG. 3c illustrates the use of fastener 69 to secure LED light strip 50within mounting structure 63. With LED light strip 50 and cylinders 70already placed within mounting structure 63, threaded fastener 69 isplaced through LED light strip 50 at an installation hole 55 and throughcylinder 70, neither of which engage the threads of fastener 69.Fastener 69 will then pierce floor 67 of mounting structure 63 engagingthe threaded portion of fastener 69 which draws fastener 69 into member66 with continued rotation until the underside of the head of fastener69 is drawn tightly against the top side of LED light strip 50, therebysecuring LED light strip 50 within mounting structure 63. That procedureis repeated until there is a fastener 69 tightened against the top ofLED light strip 50 at each installation hole 55 over the entire lengthof LED light strip 50. This process results in an LED light strip thatis sufficiently mechanically secure and needs no further reinforcement.

FIG. 3d illustrates the use of fastener 71 to secure LED light strip 50within mounting structure 63 and secure the resulting assembly onto amaterial 74. With LED light strip 50 and cylinders 70 already placedwithin mounting structure 63, threaded fastener 71 is placed through LEDlight strip 50 at an installation hole 55 and through cylinder 70,neither of which engage the threads of fastener 71. Fastener 71 willthen pierce floor 67 of mounting structure 63 engaging the threadedportion of fastener 71 which, with continued rotation, draws fastener 71into and through member 66 and into material 74 until the underside ofthe head of fastener 71 is drawn tightly against the top side of LEDlight strip 50, thereby securing LED light strip 50 within mountingstructure 63. That procedure is repeated until there is a fastener 71tightened against the top of LED light strip 50 at each installationhole 55 over the entire length of LED light strip 50. This processresults in an LED light strip 50 that is sufficiently mechanicallysecure and needs no further reinforcement. Use of fastener 71additionally results in the assembly of LED light strip 50 and mountingstructure 63 being mounted securely onto material 74.

FIG. 3e illustrates the use of fastener 72 and nut 73 to secure LEDlight strip 50 within mounting structure 63 and secure the resultingassembly onto a rigid sheet material 75. With LED light strip 50 andcylinders 70 already placed within mounting structure 63, a piercingdrill bit is chosen whose diameter is small enough that the drill bitwill not engage with installation hole 55 or cylinder 70, but largeenough that fastener 72 can pass through the drilled hole withoutengaging the threads on fastener 72. A hole is then drilled through bothmember 66 of mounting structure 63 and rigid sheet material 75 at thelocation on sheet 55 where each installation hole 55 will be when LEDlight strip 50 is installed. Then a fastener 72 can be placed throughinstallation hole 55, cylinder 70, and through the holes drilled in bothmember 66 of mounting structure 63 and sheet material 75. After fastener72 is placed nut 73 can be threaded onto fastener 72 on the oppositeside of sheet material 75 from LED light strip 50 and nut 73 can bethreaded along the threaded portion of fastener 72 with continuedrotation until the underside of the head of fastener 72 is sufficientlytight against the top side of LED light strip 50. This shall be repeateduntil a fastener 72 is drawn tightly against the top of LED light strip50 at every installation hole 55 along the installed length of LED lightstrip 50. This process results in an LED light strip 50 that issufficiently mechanically secure and needs no further reinforcement. Useof fastener 72 and nut 73 additionally result in the assembly of LEDlight strip 50 and mounting structure 63 being mounted securely ontorigid sheet material 75.

Reference will now be made in particular to FIGS. 4a through 4d wherethe clip system and method for connecting different sections of LEDlight strip 50 and making various electrical connections are detailed.FIG. 4a is a view from above of a portion of LED light strip 50containing an intact portion 53 within a complete clip section 51 and apartial view of the adjacent light producing sections 52. Two pairs ofcontrol signal contacts 56 a and 56 b as well as clip alignment holes 57are illustrated within clip section 51. Mounting structure 63 is notillustrated in FIG. 4 a.

FIG. 4b illustrates the same portions of LED light strip 50 as FIG. 4aexcept for removable portion 53 which has been removed as describedabove, and the resulting two sections are separated with lower clip half76 illustrated between the separated portions of LED light strip 50.

Lower clip half 76 is made of a rigid high-strength material such as ahigh-strength thermoplastic which is significantly more rigid than corestructure 59 of LED light strip 50. Lower clip half 76 contains twopairs of voltage bus contacts, 80 a and 80 b, with one pair on each sideof electrical break assurance barrier 82. Voltage bus contacts 80 a and80 b are designed to connect electrically with their respectivecounterpart voltage bus contacts 62 a and 62 b. Voltage bus contacts 80are both raised above the surrounding surface of lower clip half 76where the surrounding surface, indicate with striped lines, seatsagainst the underside surface of core structure 59 when clip halves 76and 77 are fastened together to form a clip assembly 78. As a result ofcontacts 80 being raised above the surface they will be accordinglydriven into contact with bus voltage contacts 62 on the underside of LEDlight strip 50 sections 51 driving those contacts into the somewhatflexible and elastic core structure 59. When core structure 59 isslightly deformed by contacts 62 being pushed into core structure 59 bythe raised lower clip contacts 80, the elasticity of core structure 59pushes back as it tries to regain its original shape, resulting in aforce which maintains electrical contact between contacts 62 on theunderside of clip section 51 of LED light strip 50 and contacts 80within lower clip half 76.

Alignment pins 79 are illustrated in FIG. 4b , these pins have a heightthat places them at least partway through clip alignment hole 57 withinclip section 51 of LED light strip 50 when portions 51 are placed onlower clip half 76, but not far enough to protrude through the top faceof LED light strip 50 when placed. Alignment pins 79 therefore ensureproper alignment of sections 51 within a clip assembly 78 and, whenremovable portion 53 is removed, alignment pins 79 prevent the separatedsection 51 from being pulled out of location or entirely out of a clipassembly 78. Electrical break assurance barrier 82 is also illustratedwithin lower clip half 76 in FIG. 4b . Electrical barrier 82 has aheight that places it at least partway through core structure 59 of LEDlight strip 50 when removable portion 53 has been removed. Electricalbarrier 82, being made from a non-conductive thermoplastic by way ofexample, prevents transmission of electrical power from voltage bus 60across the space where a removable portion 53 would otherwise be.Further, because electrical barrier 82 occupies at least some of thespace otherwise occupied by removable portion 53, barrier 82 preventsmisapplication of the clip when removable portion 53 has not beenremoved.

FIG. 4c illustrates the same two LED light strip 50 portions withportion 53 of clip section 51 removed, and the remaining portions ofclip section 51 are placed in lower clip half 76 with alignment pin 79within clip alignment hole 57 and barrier 82 where removable section 53was before removal. An important feature of this invention is that theposition of sections 52 on either side of an installed clip remainsunchanged when a clip is placed. This allows for configuration changesto occur within an existing installation of LED light strip 50 which caninvolve adding or moving clips and all sections 52 of LED light strip 50will remain in exactly the same position within mounting structure 63.

FIG. 4d illustrates the same two LED light strip 50 portions with upperclip half 77 snapped into place onto lower clip half. This view fromabove does not include mounting structure 63. Although not illustratedin FIG. 4d upper clip half 77 can contain, as desired, contacts whichare positioned to electrically connect with control signal contacts 56on LED light strip 50 sections 51. These contacts within upper clip half77 are designed and perform similarly to contacts 80 within lower cliphalf 76, including pressing slightly into core structure 59 eliciting aforce due to the elasticity of core structure 59 which reinforces theelectrical contact. Clip halves 76 and 77 snap against each other usingstandard methods and practices for snapping plastic parts, especiallyconnectors, together that are known in the art. This mechanicalconnection holds the clip assembly together with each clip half having aportion 81 which is inside an installation slot of mounting structure63, where each clip half's portion 81 is in the opposite side from theothers. In this manner clip assembly 78 is secured within mountingstructure 63 alongside the pinched-into-place sections 52 as describedpreviously.

Now referring in particular to FIG. 5, there is shown a view of portionsof two consecutive LED light strip 50 sections 52 with a clip assembly78 of lower clip half 76 and upper clip half 77 installed over clipsection 51, and in addition where the entire assembly is installedwithin a length of mounting structure 63. Fastener 69 has been installedand secures the central portion of LED light strip 50 across its width,and both edges of sections 52 are located within installation slots 64and kept in place by an LED light strip retention tab 68 running thelength of mounting structure 63 on either side. External wires are alsoillustrated with 83 a and 83 b connecting to the upper clip half 77contacts which connect electrically to control signal contacts 56 a and56 b using standard methods and practices for electrical wireconnections. Wires 84 a and 84 b are similarly electrically connected tolower clip half 76 voltage bus contacts 80 a and 80 b using standardmethods and practices for electrical wire connections. Portion 81 oflower clip half 76 is within the installation slot 64 closest toexternal wires 84, and portion 81 of upper clip half 77 is within theinstallation slot closest to external wires 83.

FIG. 6a provides a cross sectional view of mounting structure 63 whoseLED light strip retention tab 68 is adapted without any change infunction. FIG. 6b provides a cross sectional view of a clip section 51of LED light strip 50, and of upper clip half 77 and lower clip half 76.While are certain variations to the components within FIGS. 6a through6c as compared to FIGS. 1-5, the concepts apply equally to the preferredembodiment of the present invention across all included figures.

Surface 85 of the underside of lower clip half 76 is designed to sitdirectly on member 66 floor 67 within mounting structure 63. This allowsfor upper clip half to be pushed hard enough into lower clip half toengage the mechanical snap-type fasteners, standard in the art, whichhold clip assembly 78 together. This mechanical mechanism of holdingclip assembly 78 together will engage when upper clip half surfaces 88are pressed into and engage lower clip half surfaces 87.

Upper clip half 77 has an external access cable 90 which connectselectrically using standard methods and practices known in the art toupper clip half contacts 86 a and 86 b. Upper clip half contacts 86 aand 86 b make an electrical connection with control signal contacts 56 aand 56 b within clip assembly 78. The cross sectional view illustrateshow upper clip half contacts 86 and lower clip half contacts 80 protrudebeyond the clip and are pressed into core structure 59 when the clipassembly is snapped together as is illustrated in FIG. 6c . Lower clipcontacts 80 a and 80 b are designed to safely transfer the entire ratedpower of voltage bus 60, and accordingly the lower clip contacts 80 aretaller as well as wider. The additional height above the lower clip halfsurface which mates with the underside of core structure 59 for clipsection 51 means contacts 80 will push voltage bus contacts 62 a and 62b farther into core structure 59 generating an accordingly larger forcedue to the elasticity of core structure 59. This force is labelled inFIG. 6c as F1. Upper clip half contacts 86 a and 86 b make electricalcontact with control signal contacts 56 a and 56 b and do not need totransfer significant electrical power. Accordingly, clip contacts 86 aand 86 b are smaller in size and protrude less into core structure 59,generating an accordingly smaller force F2 as illustrated in FIG. 6c .Lower clip half 76 also has an external access cable 89 which connectselectrically using standard methods known in the art to lower clip halfcontacts 80 a and 80 b.

FIG. 6b also illustrates an adaptation to portion 81 of upper clip half77 whereby the farthest end of portion 81 from upper clip half contacts86 is rounded to facilitate placement of upper clip half 77 whichresults in a clip assembly 78 over a clip section 51 of LED light strip50 of the present invention. In addition to the rounded end of portion81, portion is connected to the remainder of upper clip half 77 by anarrowed structure which allows upper clip half to rotate into placewithout being obstructed by LED light strip retention tab 68.

FIG. 6c illustrates that with upper clip half 77 mechanically securedand snapped into place as illustrated clip assembly 78 is secured withinmounting structure 63 with portion 81 of upper clip half 77 securedwithin one installation slot 64 and portion 81 of lower clip half 76secured in the opposite installation slot 64. The system and method ofinstalling LED light strip 50 within mounting structure 63 using apinching action to insert the edges of sections 52 into installationslots 64 and installation fasteners of various types in eachinstallation hole 55 was noted previously as being entirely sufficientto mechanically secure LED light strip 50 within mounting structure 63.Installing a clip assembly where needed for electrical connections orfor joining sections where removable portion 53 of clip section 51 hasbeen removed secures the installation even further.

While the present invention has been described at some length and withsome particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, itis not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars orembodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed withreferences to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possibleinterpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore,to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. As usedthroughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each and everyvalue that is within the range. Any value within the range can beselected as the terminus of the range.

What is claimed is:
 1. An LED light strip assembly comprising: astructural core formed of an elastically deformable insulating materialincluding one or more integrally formed, alternating light producingsections and clip sections, each light producing section containing aplurality of LED elements provided on the structural core, first andsecond electrical connections each for transmission of power from anunderside voltage bus through the structural core to the LED elementsand supporting circuitry, and control signal traces for transmittingcontrol signals connecting to the LED elements, each clip section havinga reduced width in relation to a light producing section, and includinga removable portion, a pair of clip assembly alignment holes on eitherside of the removable portion, at least two pairs of LED control signalcontacts positioned on opposite sides of the removable portion, thepairs of LED control signal contacts electrically connected to eachother by a signal trace across the removable portion, and connected by asignal trace to one or more LED elements in a main light producingsection immediately adjacent the removable section, and a least one pairof voltage bus contacts positioned on opposite sides of the removableportion, said clip section adapted for attachment of a clip assembly forcontrolling the operation of the LED light strip.
 2. The LED light stripassembly of claim 1 additionally comprising plurality of spaced apartinstallation holes extending between the front surface and back surfaceof the light producing sections.
 3. The LED light strip assembly ofclaim 2 additionally comprising an LED light strip mounting structurehaving a continuous profile and including a lower horizontal memberdefining a floor surface, first and second side members extending fromthe lower horizontal member, and opposing and alignment mounting slotsformed in the first and second side members for receiving opposite sideedges of the LED light strip support structure and forming a compartmentin which one or more voltage busses attached to the bottom of the LEDlight strip are housed.
 4. The LED light strip assembly of claim 3 inwhich electrical power is transmitted between LED light producingsections exclusively through the voltage busses in the compartment. 5.The LED lights strip assembly of claim 4 additionally comprising aplurality of fasteners for securing the light producing sections of theLED light strip support structure to the mounting structure.
 6. The LEDlight strip assembly of claim 5 additionally comprising heightmaintenance spacers having a through aperture and being dimensioned tobe positioned between the underside of the LED light strip main lightproducing section support structure and floor of the mounting structurelower horizontal member when secured to the mounting structure.
 7. TheLED light strip assembly of claim 1 additionally comprising a clipassembly for connecting to the clip section of the LED light stripsupport structure, including an upper clip half and a lower clip half,the lower clip half including a structural portion configured to fit inone of the LED light strip mounting slots within the mounting structure,first and second clip alignment pegs extending from a top surface, oneor more pairs of clip voltage bus contacts positioned for makingelectrical contact with the voltage bus contacts on the underside of theLED light strip clip, and an nonconductive barrier extending outwardlyfrom the lower clip half a sufficient distance to pass the voltage buson the underside of the LED light strip substrate in order to ensure acomplete power bus break, and the upper clip half connectable to thelower clip half and including a structural portion configured to fit inone of the LED light strip mounting slots within the mounting structure,one or more electrical contacts positioned to electrically connect withthe LED light strip control signal contacts to enable the utilization ofcontrol signals to operate the LED light strip, and when connected tothe lower clip half causing a deformation of the structural core andproviding a countering force which ensures stable electrical contact ismade between matching contact areas in the clip assembly and the clipsection of the LED light strip.
 8. The LED light strip assembly of claim7 additionally comprising external wires connected to the contactswithin the upper clip half to either insert a control signal such as adimming value, or to extract a control signal to connect to a usefulexternal purpose.
 9. The LED light strip assembly of claim 8additionally comprising external wires connected to the contacts withinthe lower clip half for connection of an external device such as a powersupply to underside voltage bus, or to extract power from the undersidevoltage bus to power a peripheral device, such as an occupancy sensor oran electronic light control interface.
 10. The LED light assembly ofclaim 9 in which the installation of a clip does not require alterationof the installed position of the LED light strip along the length of themounting structure.
 11. The LED light assembly in which replacement of asection of the LED light strip may be accomplished without altering theconfiguration of other sections of the LED light strip.